First Treasures From Legendary Spanish Galleon Raised In Colombia

Their value reaches billions of dollars.

In Colombia raised the first treasures from the legendary Spanish galleon San José, sunk more than 300 years ago. This was reported on November 21 by CNN.

The finds include gold and bronze coins, porcelain cups and a ship's cannon.

The ship sank in the Caribbean Sea in 1708 during the Spanish Succession War, when the British navy attacked a Spanish squadron. The San José was carrying huge amounts of gold, silver and emeralds from the colonies of South America to the Spanish crown. The total value of the cargo is now estimated in the billions of dollars.

The media writes that a legal dispute continues around the galleon between the Colombian government and the U.S. company Sea Search-Armada, which claims to have discovered the ship back in the 1980s and claims about $10 billion, half of the estimated treasure.

Colombia insists it discovered the San José in 2015. Authorities call the current lifting of the artifacts part of a research project that should shed light on the economic and political history of early 18th century Europe. The government considers the galleon an important part of the country's cultural heritage.

The artifacts were raised using underwater robots. Now they will undergo a lengthy conservation process and become the object of archaeological research.

Historical documents show that the San José was part of the Flota de Tierra Firme fleet, which in 1707 left Peru with a large royal cargo, but did not reach Spain.

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